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Preface
Several Jaina holy texts6 have mentioned that Ācārya Samantabhadra was destined to attain the highest and supreme status of a Tīrthankara (a ford-maker for the others to cross the ocean of worldly cycle of births and deaths - samsāra). As a Tīrthankara he will propagate Truth for the welfare of all living beings and will be worshipped by the lords of the devas and the men during the five most auspicious events (pañca kalyāņaka)* that must take place in the life of a Tīrthařkara.
HIS TIME
The time when Ācārya Samantabhadra flourished cannot be ascertained with great precision. Jugalkishore Mukhtar, after due research and detailed analysis as presented in his Preface to Ratnakarandaka-śrāvakācāra7, has arrived at the conclusion that Ācārya Samantabhadra must have lived after Acārya Kundakunda and Ācārya Umāsvāmi but before Ācārya Pūjyapāda. Broadly, he has fixed Ācārya Samantabhadra's time as the second or the third century, Vikram Samvata (VS). As Gregorian Year 2000 CE corresponds to Year 2057 in the VS calendar, Ācārya Samantabhadra's time can be fixed around the second century CE.
HIS WORKS Ācārya Samantabhadra is known to have authored the following profound treatises:
rīmāṁsā or Devāgamastotra Ratnakarandaka-śrāvakācāra Svayambhūstotra Yuktyanuśāsana Stutividyā or Jinaśataka or Jinastutiśataka or Jinaśatakālaňkāra Jivasiddhi Gandhahastimahābhāsya
* see pages 4-5 for explanation
(xi)
